UW reaches $35k settlement over animal welfare

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The University of Wisconsin-Madison has agreed to pay a $35,000 fine to settle animal welfare violations.

UW Research Animal Resources Center Director Eric Sandgren says the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the university 44 citations between 2007 and 2013. Sandgren says the agency has apparently decided not to pursue 37 of the violations; the settlement involves seven citations that include allegations of euthanizing a dog without notifying the supervising veterinarian and accidentally burning a cat. Sandgren said the cat fully recovered.

He says the university signed the settlement on Feb. 18. The university could have faced a $70,000 fine; each violation carried a maximum penalty of $10,000.

The comment sections of our web set are designed for thoughtful, intelligent conversation and debate. We want to hear from the viewers but we are not obligated to post comments we feel inappropriate or violate our guidelines. Here are some of the criteria you should follow when posting comments:

Comments cannot be profane or vulgar. Children and families visit this site. We will delete comments that use profanity or cross the lines of good taste.

We will delete all comments using hate speech. Slurs, stereotypes and violent talk aren’t welcome on our web site.

Comments should not attack other readers personally.

We will delete comments we deem offensive, in bad taste, or out of bounds. We are not obligated to post comments that are rude or insensitive.

We do not edit user-submitted comments.

As a host WEAU 13 News welcomes a wide spectrum of opinions. However, we have a responsibility to all our readers to try to keep our comment section fair and decent. For that reason WEAU 13 News reserves the right to not post or to remove any comment.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.